Mastering the Art of Headline Writing: Beyond Words
Headline Writing
It’s More Than Words!
Real, Crazy Headlines
•
Give the most general, overall focus/summary of the story
–
Not as detailed as the 5W’s, but grab their attention
•
Avoid headlines that can have more than
one interpretation
–
No double entendres, like:
•
“Miners refuse to work after death”
•
“New obesity study looks for larger test group”
•
“Children make nutritious snacks”
•
Use strong, active verbs; “to be” is boring!
–
“Panther basketball excels in district”
–
“The Panther basketball team is leading the district”
•
Use present tense verbs; use infinitives to indicate future tense
–
Smith to lead council
–
Smith leads council
Headline Do’s
•
Express a complete thought (heads are simple sentences)
–
Smith leads
–
Smith leads council
•
Substitute a comma for the word "and”
–
Ridge Point breeds scholars and champions
–
Ridge Point breeds scholars, champions
•
Capitalize only the first word and proper nouns and adjectives
–
Ridge Point breeds Scholars, champions
–
Ridge Point breeds scholars, champions
•
No speaking Walmart
–
Headline Do’s
Headline Don’t’s
•
DON’T mislead the reader about the content of the article
•
DON’T put a period at the end of a headline
•
DON’T use names, unless very well recognized. Use grades or
positions instead
•
DON’T use abbreviations or slang
•
DON’T capitalize every word or every important word.
•
DON’T
u
se "a," "an" or "the
”
Can You Fix These Headlines?
ORIGINAL
New curriculum offers
opportunities and concerns
REVISED
New curriculum offers
opportunities, concerns
Can You Fix These Headlines?
ORIGINAL
Smith takes his role seriously as
drivers ed instructor
REVISED
Driver’s ed teacher takes role
seriously
Can You Fix These Headlines?
ORIGINAL
15 seniors are chosen
REVISED
15 seniors chosen
Can You Fix These Headlines?
ORIGINAL
New pay raise is approved
REVISED
New pay raise approved
Assignment I: headlines
•
Objective:
When you finish this activity, you will be able
to:
–
Assess the most important aspects of a story
–
Create a succinct, relevant headline
•
Create a new Word document, and write a headline for
each of the scenarios below. Label each headline
“Scenario 1”, “Scenario II” or “Scenario III.” Try to keep
them under 10 words and follow the headline writing do’s
and don’t’s
•
Save your document on your H drive as
[your last name]
Headline Writing,
and then submit to Mrs. J via Google
Drive
•
Assignment is due at midnight on Tuesday, November 10
Scenario 1
Northbound traffic on Interstate 45 is likely to be disrupted for several hours after a
big rig reportedly hauling ammunition overturned and caught fire in Montgomery
County early Thursday morning.
The crash happened on the northbound freeway at FM 830 near Conroe just after
midnight, according to Houston TranStar.
The truck toppled onto its side, caught fire and apparently lost portions of its load.
It was reportedly carrying ammunition.
The wreck forced officials to close all but one northbound lane near the crash site
while emergency crews work to clear the area. The clean up could continue until at
least about 8:30 a.m.
No other information was immediately available.
Scenario 2
A Sugar Land boy whose brain cancer triggered the state's latest futile-care law
controversy has died, six months after Texas Children's Hospital planned to
remove his life support.
Jordan Allen, 14, who was transferred to another facility five days before Texas
Children's early July deadline, then in late August was discharged to the care of his
parents, died at home Monday. He had been in a vegetative state since May.
"He'd been doing well, but last week he took a bad turn and Monday he gave up,"
said Samuel Allen, the boy's father. "But the months caring for him at home were
important to us - they gave us time to recognize God's plan and accept it."
Allen said he still thinks the law is wrong and called on hospital ethics committees
to listen more to loved ones if the patient isn't in pain.
The law, passed in 1999, allows hospitals to discontinue treatment against the
family's wishes if an ethics committee deems it "medically inappropriate" and the
family has at least 10 days to look for an alternate facility to accept the patient.
Scenario 3
A Dallas man who admitted to staging a series of bank robberies
across Texas wearing a George W. Bush mask was sentenced
Wednesday to 25 years in prison, authorities said.
Gabriel Cabello, 40, of Dallas, was arrested in February shortly after
robbing a Compass bank in The Woodlands, ending a seven-bank
robbery string that spanned from the Houston area to Austin during
a six-month period, prosecutors said.
A witness called 911 after spotting Cabello, described as heavy-set
and 5 foot 7 inches tall, donning a mask before entering the bank in
The Woodlands on Feb. 11, leading to his arrest shortly after the
robbery. In his car, authorities found several weapons, including two
guns used in the bank robberies.
Possible Headline answers
•
Fiery big rig crash disrupts I-45 traffic
•
Patient at center of futile-care law
controversy dies
•
Bush bandit gets 25 years
Assignment II: headlines
•
Objective:
When you finish this activity, you will be able
to:
–
Assess the most important aspects of a story
–
Create a succinct, relevant headline
•
Create a new Word document, and write a headline for
each of the articles below. Try to keep them under 10
words and follow the headline writing do’s and don’t’s
•
Save your document on your H drive as
[your last name]
Headlines Assignment II,
and then submit to Mrs. J via
Google Drive
•
Assignment is due at midnight on Friday, November 13,
2015
Story 1
NEW DELHI (AP) — India on Monday launched its first spacecraft bound for Mars, a
complex mission that it hopes will demonstrate and advance technologies for space travel.
Thousands of people watched the rocket carrying the Mars orbiter take off from the seaside
town of Goa and streak across the sky. Many more across the country watched live TV
broadcasts.
If the mission is successful, India will become only the fourth nation to visit the red planet
after the Soviet Union, the United States and Europe.
"Capturing and igniting the young minds of India and across the globe will be the major
return from this mission," mission director Subbu Venkat said from the launch site.
The orbiter is expected to have at least six months to investigate the planet's landscape and
atmosphere. At its closest point it will be 488 kilometers from the planet's surface, and its
furthest point will be 92,000 kilometers away.
Story 2
Wildlife agents are trying to trap a bear that bit a woman and killed her dog when they
surprised it raiding a garbage can outside the woman’s home on the western coast, Oregon’s
Fish and Wildlife Department said.
The woman was treated at a hospital for puncture wounds at her waistline. The attack
happened at about 3 a.m. Friday, but the woman didn’t report it to police until she returned
home later that day, said Mike Smith, deputy chief for Fish and Wildlife officers.
Four officers responded, bringing a bear dog from Seattle to help track the animal.
However, the ground was wet, and too much time had passed to pick up the scent.
The bear attack on a human is believed to be the first in Washington since August 2011, when
a bear mauled Tacoma City Councilmember John Jakubik at Lake Wenahachee.
Other bear encounters usually involve someone out with a dog, Smith said.
Story 3
Five passengers on a Portuguese jet were slightly injured late Tuesday afternoon in a tarmac fire at
Ontario Airport.
A mobile conveyor belt, used for loading baggage onto planes, burst into flames just before 3 p.m.
All of passengers were hustled off of the Continental Boeing 777.
"They were basically evacuated for safety reasons," said Susan Smith, a spokesman for the airport
authority.
Five people complained of smoke irritation. Three of them suffered lower-body injuries during the
evacuation.
Three women were transported to the hospital for evaluation, while two men refused to be
transported.
The fire was quickly extinguished by the airport's fire crew.
Unveil the secrets of crafting compelling headlines that captivate readers' attention and accurately reflect the essence of the story. Learn the dos and don'ts of headline creation, including the importance of clarity, brevity, and impactful language choices. Explore real, crazy headlines to inspire your headline writing journey.
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Presentation Transcript
Headline Writing It s More Than Words!
Headline Dos Give the most general, overall focus/summary of the story Not as detailed as the 5W s, but grab their attention Avoid headlines that can have more than one interpretation No double entendres, like: Miners refuse to work after death New obesity study looks for larger test group Children make nutritious snacks Use strong, active verbs; to be is boring! Panther basketball excels in district The Panther basketball team is leading the district Use present tense verbs; use infinitives to indicate future tense Smith to lead council Smith leads council
Headline Dos Express a complete thought (heads are simple sentences) Smith leads Smith leads council Substitute a comma for the word "and Ridge Point breeds scholars and champions Ridge Point breeds scholars, champions Capitalize only the first word and proper nouns and adjectives Ridge Point breeds Scholars, champions Ridge Point breeds scholars, champions No speaking Walmart
Headline Donts DON T mislead the reader about the content of the article DON T put a period at the end of a headline DON T use names, unless very well recognized. Use grades or positions instead DON T use abbreviations or slang DON T capitalize every word or every important word. DON T use "a," "an" or "the
Can You Fix These Headlines? REVISED ORIGINAL New curriculum offers opportunities and concerns opportunities, concerns New curriculum offers
Can You Fix These Headlines? ORIGINAL REVISED Smith takes his role seriously as drivers ed instructor seriously Driver s ed teacher takes role
Can You Fix These Headlines? REVISED ORIGINAL 15 seniors are chosen 15 seniors chosen
Can You Fix These Headlines? ORIGINAL REVISED New pay raise approved New pay raise is approved
Assignment I: headlines Objective: Objective: When you finish this activity, you will be able to: Assess the most important aspects of a story Create a succinct, relevant headline Create a new Word document, and write a headline for each of the scenarios below. Label each headline Scenario 1 , Scenario II or Scenario III. Try to keep them under 10 words and follow the headline writing do s and don t s Save your document on your H drive as [your last name] Headline Writing, and then submit to Mrs. J via Google Drive Assignment is due at midnight on Tuesday, November 10
Scenario 1 Northbound traffic on Interstate 45 is likely to be disrupted for several hours after a big rig reportedly hauling ammunition overturned and caught fire in Montgomery County early Thursday morning. The crash happened on the northbound freeway at FM 830 near Conroe just after midnight, according to Houston TranStar. The truck toppled onto its side, caught fire and apparently lost portions of its load. It was reportedly carrying ammunition. The wreck forced officials to close all but one northbound lane near the crash site while emergency crews work to clear the area. The clean up could continue until at least about 8:30 a.m. No other information was immediately available.
Scenario 2 A Sugar Land boy whose brain cancer triggered the state's latest futile-care law controversy has died, six months after Texas Children's Hospital planned to remove his life support. Jordan Allen, 14, who was transferred to another facility five days before Texas Children's early July deadline, then in late August was discharged to the care of his parents, died at home Monday. He had been in a vegetative state since May. "He'd been doing well, but last week he took a bad turn and Monday he gave up," said Samuel Allen, the boy's father. "But the months caring for him at home were important to us - they gave us time to recognize God's plan and accept it." Allen said he still thinks the law is wrong and called on hospital ethics committees to listen more to loved ones if the patient isn't in pain. The law, passed in 1999, allows hospitals to discontinue treatment against the family's wishes if an ethics committee deems it "medically inappropriate" and the family has at least 10 days to look for an alternate facility to accept the patient.
Scenario 3 A Dallas man who admitted to staging a series of bank robberies across Texas wearing a George W. Bush mask was sentenced Wednesday to 25 years in prison, authorities said. Gabriel Cabello, 40, of Dallas, was arrested in February shortly after robbing a Compass bank in The Woodlands, ending a seven-bank robbery string that spanned from the Houston area to Austin during a six-month period, prosecutors said. A witness called 911 after spotting Cabello, described as heavy-set and 5 foot 7 inches tall, donning a mask before entering the bank in The Woodlands on Feb. 11, leading to his arrest shortly after the robbery. In his car, authorities found several weapons, including two guns used in the bank robberies.
Assignment II: headlines Objective: Objective: When you finish this activity, you will be able to: Assess the most important aspects of a story Create a succinct, relevant headline Create a new Word document, and write a headline for each of the articles below. Try to keep them under 10 words and follow the headline writing do s and don t s Save your document on your H drive as [your last name] Headlines Assignment II, and then submit to Mrs. J via Google Drive Assignment is due at midnight on Friday, November 13, 2015
Story 1 NEW DELHI (AP) India on Monday launched its first spacecraft bound for Mars, a complex mission that it hopes will demonstrate and advance technologies for space travel. Thousands of people watched the rocket carrying the Mars orbiter take off from the seaside town of Goa and streak across the sky. Many more across the country watched live TV broadcasts. If the mission is successful, India will become only the fourth nation to visit the red planet after the Soviet Union, the United States and Europe. "Capturing and igniting the young minds of India and across the globe will be the major return from this mission," mission director Subbu Venkat said from the launch site. The orbiter is expected to have at least six months to investigate the planet's landscape and atmosphere. At its closest point it will be 488 kilometers from the planet's surface, and its furthest point will be 92,000 kilometers away.
Story 2 Wildlife agents are trying to trap a bear that bit a woman and killed her dog when they surprised it raiding a garbage can outside the woman s home on the western coast, Oregon s Fish and Wildlife Department said. The woman was treated at a hospital for puncture wounds at her waistline. The attack happened at about 3 a.m. Friday, but the woman didn t report it to police until she returned home later that day, said Mike Smith, deputy chief for Fish and Wildlife officers. Four officers responded, bringing a bear dog from Seattle to help track the animal. However, the ground was wet, and too much time had passed to pick up the scent. The bear attack on a human is believed to be the first in Washington since August 2011, when a bear mauled Tacoma City Councilmember John Jakubik at Lake Wenahachee. Other bear encounters usually involve someone out with a dog, Smith said.
Story 3 Five passengers on a Portuguese jet were slightly injured late Tuesday afternoon in a tarmac fire at Ontario Airport. A mobile conveyor belt, used for loading baggage onto planes, burst into flames just before 3 p.m. All of passengers were hustled off of the Continental Boeing 777. "They were basically evacuated for safety reasons," said Susan Smith, a spokesman for the airport authority. Five people complained of smoke irritation. Three of them suffered lower-body injuries during the evacuation. Three women were transported to the hospital for evaluation, while two men refused to be transported. The fire was quickly extinguished by the airport's fire crew.
